Rick Wheeler
In the Japanese version of the F-Zero anime, Rick Wheeler's real name is Ryu Suzaku. A champion racer and a detective hailing from New York in 2051, Rick's life came to a tragic end, not before he was awakened from cryo-sleep for 150 years. Now a member of the Galaxy Mobile Platoon, Rick competes in F-Zero races, but vows to bring the one who nearly killed him to justice, Zoda. His vehicle is the Dragon Bird, which later upgraded to the Dragon Bird EX. He's the main protagonist next to Captain Falcon and Jody Summer. His greatest rival and best friend is Jack Levin. Ikran's F-Zero Timeline In TheIkranRider's fanfics, Rick wakes up in the year 2573 after a 150-year sleep. The first story he was featured in was The Return of the Samurai, when he actually meets Tinsel Steelus, Ikran's OC pilot, at Planet Cryton, where they dealt with the nefarious Samurai Goroh and his band of thieves; she warned Rick on who he was, as he encountered him from the get-go and didn't even know it while he stole medicine for terminally ill children. Rick couldn't thank Tinsel enough for saving him as well as helping the unfortunate children, including Alias. Since then, Rick has been an inspiration and idol to Tinsel. He was also Tinsel's best friend when she joined the Elite Mobile Task Force upon his suggestion. While he always got into trouble due to his recklessness, he was often defended by Tinsel, even when Jack and Jody were putting him down. And so was he after Tinsel had a nervous breakdown from Truman's treachery working for the Bloody Chain and kidnapping racers. She and Rick have grown very close to each other, even when he was suffering from Survivor's Guilt over the loss of Haruka Misaki, and then encountering Miss Killer for the first time. Tinsel actually saved his life by giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation after succumbing to a lethal spell made by The Skull which disabled him to breathe. Later on, he never noticed any of Tinsel's Duel Monsters; whether it'd be the attack on the Bloody Chain, the involvement of Yugi Muto and Joey Wheeler during the Fake Star race, or even the chaos at Outer Space's Meteor Storm. He did, however, notice Tinsel's fondness of the skylines at Port Town after the events of Tanaka in Trouble; they grew close during Kate Alen's concert as they soaked in the beautiful scenery. During the holiday special, Merry Christmas, Rick!, he was gifted a special little, golden, heart-shaped locket that could house the century-and-a-half photos of Rick and Haruka; he couldn't appreciate it enough since it was a very thoughtful gift by Tinsel. During the spring, in Tinsel's Trial, he came to her aide while he was defending her brainwashed actions after she consumed tainted water from her canister at the Hovercraft Hub, before the final race in Victoria Falls. In Mist Flow, he and Tinsel got into an accident, though she had the worst of it when she became comatose as the effects wore off. Rick stuck by her side all this time, and he even offered to watch over her for a few days more until she was well enough to work alongside the Task Force again after that month of absence. Shortly after, he was curious on Haruka's cause of death. Then, through his research, he found out that she was involved in a fatal crash and died from a broken heart after he went into cold sleep. He was starting to make a heck of a character development in Ending it All when he was first captured by Dark Million, along with the rest of the Mobile Task Force, and later fell for Tinsel. He also becomes the late Captain Falcon's (Douglas Jay Falcon's) successor, as well as the savior of the galaxy. He has met Tinsel's former Duelist friends, Yami Yugi, Yugi, and Joey as well. After his own personal devastation, he was ambushed, then he woke up in Dark Star, mesmerized by Black Shadow, had a makeover of his Dragon Bird known as the Dark Star Dragon as he called it, and went on the hunt for Tinsel and Leon at Planet Alcatran after he let off a fake distress signal. During the fatal scrimmage with Leon, Tinsel knocked some sense into him and he returned to his normal self. He escorted them out of Alcatran to his home in Mute City when he explained what happened to him. Tinsel regained his trust, then he reunited with Burt and Clank Hughes. And lastly, he had the black residue removed as he had Dr. Stewart's experimental formula inserted into him by Rodney Stewart. Then, he saw Haruka in the heavens, where she warned him that he must defeat Dark Million, otherwise she won't find rest. Not even after her vessel transformed into an abomination as it was reawakened as Miss Killer. Rick vowed to put a stop to Zoda and Black Shadow's schemes while rescuing his remaining friends in Dark Star. From there, Rick met the Duelists as they volunteered to join in on the war against Black Shadow/Deathborn. They met him on an old Mute City track along with other fellow pilots Leon, Draq, Gomar & Shioh, and Beastman. He reunited with Jack, Lucy Liberty, Mr. EAD, and John Tanaka but Dr. Theodore Clash implored him to knock his Crazy Bear off course to end his misery as well as prevent the other pilots from perishing. He then defeated Zoda thanks to Tinsel's Comet's ice beams. He later learned the secret Booster Fire by Capt. Falcon's training after discovering a Reactor Might within the Dragon Bird and Comet where Dr. Clash put them in. And after Tinsel succumbed under the sickness as Rick trained her, they shared a very deep, passionate kiss with each other, and discovered he had the ability to heal people thermally. With that, he healed Tinsel then later Tanaka as they forgot to bring over the formula after the Death Wind semifinals. During the Championship at Lightning. he encountered Black Shadow and his double Black Fire which rendered him unconscious, then taken to Dark Star. He was nearly mesmerized again as he succumbed to the black formula made by the Dark Reactor Mights and enhanced by Dr. Stewart, but his friends came to his aide, even Tinsel and Haruka, then Rick let out all his fiery, cinnabar rage from a stasis tube, then escaped with Tinsel and Falcon and returned to Earth. He soon got a hold of Haruka's old diary from 150 years, then discovered that Deathborn was the culprit from all the crises. Then Falcon was defeated by Rick in a race, and his successor became official, then the Dragon Bird was upgraded to the Dragon Bird EX. After Leon rescued the Duelists from imprisonment made by Jody, then meeting a distraught Tinsel after beating the cyborg, she was captured. The guys fought off the defenses at Dark Star using their Trap cards, then infiltrated the base in an attempt to save Tinsel and the universe. Rick and the others were successful, then he found the legend from Dr. Stewart that he was the Wuji, the element without extreme and succumbing to good and evil. He was known as the savior of the galaxy if he takes Falcon's side, but at a price when Falcon sacrificed himself to draw Deathborn down as the Reactor Core was being obliterated. Rick then swore to carry on Douglas' legacy as a champion and bounty hunter. His first mission as a bounty hunter was an altered universe crossover featuring the Resident Evil Universe in Man of Destiny. He went to the core of the Umbrella's Hive Building underneath Port Town while destroying numerous zombie legions and disabling the Red Queen's defenses. Then he detonated a bomb made by Clank and the Mighty Gazelle which was set for three hours destroying the facility. He met some survivors including Alice, Rain, and Kaplan cornered by Spence who was driven by greed. He shot him and led the escape, although he was later bitten by a nearby horde. Using the power of his Reactor Mights, he managed to lead the trio to safety before he gave into his injuries. The Galaxy Platoon arrived, apprehending the cohorts in the Umbrella Corp. including Dr. James Marcus himself. He soon recovered from the T-Virus infection thanks to some Reactor Mights of Light, as well as Capt. Falcon urging Rick to live on. From that moment on, the survivors vowed to keep the Young Falcon's identity a secret, and occasionally watch him race. In the special, An Action Point for Valentine's, he, Jody and Dr. Stewart had a plan to make a special surprise for a certain someone at Port Town. While it was the high medico's birthday, Rick followed Tinsel to the old course that was active during the Queen League. She was told that there was an incident involving the trio, but it was just a ploy to drive her here. Rick explained they're fine and there was no incident, instead he did the unthinkable. After he confessed his true feelings to her as well as his appreciation to be with her and healing his past scars, he proposed. She was all emotional as she accepted him as her official fiancée. In Ryu's Immigration, his origin story has been unveiled. Way back in 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor as warning to the US to never interfere its Pacific conquest. Two people managed to escape the imperial country to a concentration camp, as well as their oversexualized customs. One of them was actually Ryu Suzaku. By the time the bombing of Hiroshima came to a close, they went to Ellis Island and obtained US citizenship. Since then, they carried their English namesake, Wheeler, and passed it on for generations. Rick's parents bestowed him as Ryu Suzaku II, as a close descendant to the one who settled in the US. Since then, he carries two titles, even on his own F-Zero license. It was no wonder since he loves Ramen noodles, is 1/8 Japanese, and appreciates its traditions, even training with Goroh most of the time. Plus his name represents his prowess as a racer, his ties to the Vermilion Bird and the Dragon. In The Power of the Falcon, it had been several months since he started bounty hunting, collecting 51 consecutive, successful rewards. The two were engaged, and they decided to take a vacation at the Planet Giant. Unbeknownst to them, they crossed paths with a young cadet from the Galaxy Special Forces, Lily Flyer; she was on a mission to apprehend Don Genie as he'd awaken the Titans of Matter, including Holidus, Lixa, Gastro, and Plassein. Rick and Tinsel settled down there, as well as got a bit intimate while feeling strange though pleasant from some neighboring drums from a ceremony honoring the legend of the Chosen One, which, of course, was Rick himself. He reunited a few of the mystical orbs, one in Gastro and Lixa's temples, before he and his partners were caught by Genie. His mission was to wreak havoc and erase existence in the universe so he can rule over, then he hypnotized Rick after he put on sleeping gas to his allies, in order to kill the witnesses unawares and spare him since he's the new Falcon. Holidus' wrath made time to escape and they clashed each other till Rick was saved by the Galaxy Runner. Plassein was soon awakened, Rick obtained the last orbs of solid and plasma, then Plassein sacrificed itself while he and Rick were caught in Genie's trap. He was completely paralyzed, Tinsel reunited the orbs restoring Giant, then he recovered as thanks from the three warring Titans. He mourned over Plassein's death till the vacation was over, then Dr. Stewart said his body absorbed some of the electricity, changing his molecular makeup. Through vigorous training by his sensei, Goroh, he was able to control his new prowess and harness it as energy like his thermal abilities; thus he had similar moves to the late Falcon, and his fighting prowess was utilized by electricity including the Dragon Punch, Dragon Knuckle, Dragon Kiss, and Dragon Kick. This was a sign that following Falcon was his true calling. Then, he and Tinsel met a cute alien in his own fic, P.J., The Empyrean Colonist. Later on, Rick invites Tinsel to come along with him to his birthland, Boston. In order to beat traffic he had to wake her up very early, and he kept driving on until he reached his first destination just before its advanced metropolis, the Bussey Brook; he said he used to hang out there to relax after escaping some of the pressures of being an only child and farm boy. Due to the tumultuous birth, his mom was ill leaving him and his father to take care of the homestead, as well as their dog, Axel. Unfortunately, he and the mother eventually passed away as Rick was growing up, thus he left to the Big Apple and became a stockcar racer like his old man. Fascinated by his backstory and the scenery, Tinsel enjoyed the spot as much as him. They relaxed for awhile until several hours had passed while they'd unexpectedly dosed off. Rick then took her to the same spot as the farm he was born and raised in, named Stark Farm, only to have it completely barren and desolate as a wasteland. He vowed to reverse the damage and he'd sent a sample to the Falcon Flyer which in turn sent it to Mute City at the Task Force's HQ. Dr. Stewart analyzed the specimen and concluded that harmful substances devastated the earth. There was also a moment in which both Rick and Tinsel woke up to a series of drums. They followed the sound and found themselves speculating a tribal ceremony, and eventually they succumbed to them, like they did back in Planet Giant. However, they barely knew whether or not it was all just a dream. So, they continued their Boston odyssey and eventually headed back to Mute City where the Aeropolis supercomputer, Mother-Q, had been notified, and the Galaxy Platoon's top scientists and agriculturists worked on to cultivate the badlands. Or, so they thought. Trivia * In the Japanese version, his real name is Ryu Suzaku. * His name, Ryu, means Dragon and Suzaku means the Vermilion Bird; his machine is related to that fact as its name is the Dragon Bird. * He pilots four machines, the Dragon Bird and later the upgraded Dragon Bird EX. While he was brainwashed by Dark Million, he rides the altered Dark Star Dragon. Then pilots the Blue Falcon GT taking up Falcon's mantle. * His birthday is July 28, 2028 (2401). Although Ikran's timeline says it different. He's currently 23 years old. His blood type is A. Being born in the summer, and in Boston, it's significant to his outgoing personality and fiery capabilities. Plus, the Vermilion Bird is also a god that represents summer. * In one of her fics, The Power of the Falcon, he obtains similar abilities to the late Falcon; each of them are made of electricity instead of flame, as is his Dragon Punch, Dragon Kick, Dragon Kiss, and Dragon Knuckle. This was inspired by that idea at the Fantendo Wiki. * In the anime, his girlfriend was actually Haruka (later known as Miss Killer/Luna Ryder), but in Ikran's fics, it's Tinsel Steelus. * He's the F-Zero equivalent of his Street Fighter counterpart, Ryu. This makes him the second F-Zero pilot to reference a video game character owned by a 3rd party company. The first pilot that does this is P.J. and his Groovy Taxi from Crazy Taxi in F-Zero GX. * He's voiced by Greg Abbey from the 4Kids dubs. * In Lap 46. it's known in the anime that Rick's father was a racer, much like him. * Rick's machine number is 00 due to his unlimited potential; even though it's coincidentally the same as Deathborn's. * It's likely that Rick has a Japanese heritage, as shown that he trained with Samurai Goroh later in the anime, and he once wore a white dogi with a black belt, much like Ryu. * While his main timeline starts in 2201 from 2051, Ikran's timeline started in the 26th century one year after the events in GX. That was when Rick was awakened from cold sleep in 2574. * In the oneshot, Ryu's Immigration, it's revealed that his name is actually Ryu Suzaku II, meaning his ancestor is Ryu Suzaku who, along with his wife, escaped Japan from Imperial rule and became US citizens after World War II. Rick also is 1/8 Japanese, has an appetite for Japanese culture including ramen noodles and taiko drums (excepting oversexualization), his ancestor's name was Americanized to Wheeler, and is a Bostonian who loves racing. * He has no relation to Joey Wheeler from the Yugioh universe. * He was the only member from the Task Force to be brainwashed by Dark Million, twice. * He was known as the Wuji according to the legend, a means without an extreme, that was featured in Chinese culture along with the Yin and Yang. Meaning he's susceptible to either side, and he must help Falcon and hold the 6 Reactor Mights to fulfill his destiny. Which he did once he became the new Falcon. He kept the 3 Reactor Mights of Light, but the whereabouts of the 3 Darkness Mights were still unknown. 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